New Release: Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards

Whip Smart: Wild, Sexy,

Flamboyant History

Fact-Based Adventures of Historic Muse Delivers Bodacious Fun

"Whip Smart is a sexy, adventurous and intelligent tale that I would dare name a bodice ripper for the literary mind!"

-- Marisa Lancione, NOW, Montreal

"A fun and sexy romp! I can’t wait for the sequel!"

-- Gwyn Cready, RITA Award winning author of Seducing Mr. Darcy, A Novel Seduction and Timeless Desire: An Outlander Love Story

A wild and sexy romp through History based on the real-life adventures of the audacious Lola Montez—the “Sensation of Europe.”

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present, Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards (ISBN: 978-1-938231-47-6; Trade Paperback; Romance, Historical, Women’s Fiction; US $14.95 CAN $14.95; February, 2013), the rollicking first installment of a new series by debut author, Kit Brennan.  The Whip Smart series begins during the historic week that marks the actual birthdate of Lola Montez. (February 17).

It is 1842, London, and the gorgeous, ever-capricious twenty-two-year-old Eliza Gilbert, (a.k.a. Lola Montez) is in deep trouble and seeks escape from a divorce trial. Desperate, Lola accepts an alluring offer of a paid trip to Spain, provided she fulfill a few clandestine tasks for Juan de Grimaldi—a Spanish theatre impresario who is also a government agent and spy for the exiled Spanish queen.

Lola soon finds herself in Madrid, undercover as a performer in a musical play. But when she falls dangerously in love with the target, General Diego de Léon—the “perfect Spanish soldier, lover and horseman”—Lola becomes a double agent and the two hatch a plot of their own. Disaster strikes when the plot is exposed and Lola is forced to flee on horseback to France, with a dangerous group of Loyalists in hot pursuit. Will Lola’s reckless daring, feminine whiles, and signature whip be enough to save her life, her lover and her cause?  She will have to be more whip smart than ever before.

Written with zest and a passionate, fiery fervor by debut author Kit Brennan, Whip Smart irresistibly whisks readers into a vivid journey through 19th Century France, England and Spain, riding sidesaddle with Eliza Gilbert, the young, hot-headed Irish girl destined to transform into Dona Maria Dolores de Porris y Montez—a.k.a. Lola Montez, The Sensation of Europe!

--over--

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kit Brennan is a nationally produced, award-winning playwright, and teaches writing and storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

The Victorian era and its personalities have always been of major interest to Brennan. Her play Tiger’s Heart explores the life of Dr. James Barry, who was actually a woman living a double life disguised as a man in order to practice medicine, which was not an option open to women at the time.

Kit divides her time between the vibrant city of Montreal and the quiet lake wilderness of Ontario alongside her husband, Andrew, and a variety of animal friends.  Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards is her debut novel.

Visit her online at www.kitbrennan.com.

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Where To Buy:

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/SnFGTj

B&N: http://bit.ly/UCKNP6

 ________________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA CONTACT

Tony Viardo

Tony@BlueDotLiterary.com

(773) 697-9580

GENERAL INFO:

Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards

ISBN: 978-1-938231-47-6 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-938231-45-2 (E-book)

Historical Romance; Women’s Fiction

247 Pages

February 14, 2013

Coming Soon from Kit Brennan and Astor + Blue Editions:

Whip Smart: Lola Montez and the Poisoned Nom de Plume

Featured Book and Author - See Me by Natalie-Nicole Bates

See Me by Natalie-Nicole Bates

Carly Anders is hearing voices in her head. Another one of her kind is trying to contact her. She knows of the malevolent freaks—others who are eternal like her and seek out the weak to inflict pain upon. For years, Carly has held up huge protective walls to keep herself and her secrets safe. Now, physically and mentally exhausted, Carly needs protection and rest.

She accepts the invitation to visit an internet friend who needs help appraising a collection of antique photographs.  The situation is not ideal, but Carly hopes a male presence in her life will deter the determined suitor who haunts her thoughts and dreams.

Daniel Tremont is not what Carly is expecting.

The former funeral director has a secret of his own. Not only is he eternal like Carly, he is her creation from all those years before—her abomination she thought she killed.

Daniel has been searching for Carly for years. He knows she is the piece of his life that he has been missing for so long. Now that he has found her, he has no intentions of letting her go. 

Buy links: 

http://leapoffaithpublishing.com/#ecwid:category=2613677&mode=product&product=15767325

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009MRN9P0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&

creative=19450&creativeASIN=B009MRN9P0&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelthouse-21

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MRN9P0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009MRN9P0&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelt-20

 

*****

Excerpt:

He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn’t blink. The lights are on, but no one’s home.

     “Carly, my angel,” he whispered and cupped her cheek into his palm. He revealed in the silkiness and warmth of her skin. Still, she didn’t react. She was almost…a zombie.

     His own body jerked in reaction to the fear she was emanating. She was clearly sleepwalking and in the throes of one hell of a nightmare, yet she didn’t cry out any longer. It was all now playing out inside her mind.

     “Charlotte, see me,” he implored.

     Her lips twitched at the mention of her real name. 

     “See me,” he repeated.

     Suddenly, her body gave way and she collapsed. Catching her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. As he laid her down, her breathing became ragged. He placed a hand over her heart as it raced, and passed healing calmness through his hand, feeling the energy pulsate against her skin. Beneath his hand, he would feel her heartbeat slow to a normal rhythm. 

     “Daniel?” Her voice was mere caress.

     “I’m here, my angel. You’re having a nightmare. You’re frightened. It’s okay now, I’m here, and I will never leave you,” he promised.

     “Everyone leaves, Daniel. You can’t understand, you can’t…” Her body started to tremble.

     He climbed onto the bed and straddled her body. Leaning close to her face, he said, “Carly, let go of your fear. I can take it. Let go and see me,” he commanded.

     Her breath came out in a whoosh, and a wall of fear and resistance hit him like a blow from above. It wasn’t exactly painful, more startling than anything else. 

     His vision flip-flopped, and he could see an image from inside her mind of two souls forever entwined as the result of one act. It made perfect sense. She was reliving the day their souls became one. The day of the fire.

     He then saw black, suffocating water. She was reliving her own death, as well. 

     As the visions left him, he was consumed with the mishmash of fear, loneliness, and resistance within her. 

     He had to make her understand that it was over. “I will never leave you, Carly. That is my promise to you,” he insisted. 

     A flicker of life ignited in her eyes. Her hands came up to his face, and to Daniel’s surprise, tears bubbled from his own eyes. He was releasing the pain and fear he had absorbed from his beloved.

     “I’m so sorry, Daniel, so sorry,” she murmured.

     “There’s nothing to be sorry for, my love. It’s over. It’s time to move forward now.”

     “You don’t understand what I am, Daniel.”

     “I do understand, Carly. I am what you are. See me for what I am.”

     In his mind, he could see the moving clockwork gears of her thoughts once again as she tried to process what he was telling her to be true. 

     “Just accept it, and let’s move forward.”

     She drew his face to hers and her lips parted beneath his. Time blurred and he drank in the essence of his Carly. Her soft, barely covered curves molded themselves against his the hard planes of his body. Her hands were under his t-shirt, her fingers stroking him. 

     If he pressed on, he knew she wouldn’t refuse him. But in her vulnerable state, he wouldn’t let anything progress further that night. Carly needed time to process everything that happened. There was plenty of time to pursue a physical relationship. They weren’t going any where…he hoped.

*****

Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author. 

Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.

She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19^th century post-mortem photos.

Visit Natalie online at www.natalienicolebates.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BatesNatalie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/natalienicole.bates

Blog: www.natalienicolebates.com

VBT Promo - Sun God Seeks...Surrogate by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Title: SUN GOD SEEKS…SURROGATE?

Series: (Book 3, Accidentally Yours Series)

Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Publisher: Self

Length: 295 Pages

Genres: Paranormal Romance (Action/Adventure, Comedy)

Heat Level: Sensual

Sequel to ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE WITH…A GOD? and The New York Times Best Seller, ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO…A VAMPIRE?, this story has it all! Vampires, gods, and our favorite evil Mayan priests, the Maaskab.

5.0 out of 5 Stars on Amazon for “Sun God Seeks…Surrogate”!

AVAILABLE AT:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

BLURB:

When 24-year-old Penelope learns of a new miracle drug that could cure her ailing mother, it’s the answer to her prayers. Until she sees the cost. But for every door that closes, a window opens. In this case, the window calls herself Cimil, and she’s quite possibly the most insane person Penelope’s ever met. Could it be because this complete stranger just offered Penelope one million dollars to carry her wealthy brother’s baby?

But Cimil’s brother isn’t your everyday millionaire. In fact, he gives new meaning to the word hot.

Click here for my review - Review 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she’s not busy with kids, work, and life…or getting sucked into a juicy novel.

She hopes that someday, leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.

Website: www.mimijean.net

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mimi-jean-pamfiloff/id498303364?mt=11

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MimiJeanRomance

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mimi-Jean/218935048190356

Email: mimi@mimijean.net